Russian Samovar

Samovar (self-boiler) is a device for boiling water that combines a tea
kettle with a heat source. It consists of a metal vessel placed over a brazier,
and a funnel which penetrates through the vessel, heating the water in it during
the samovar's operation. Samovar is a purely Russian invention. Russian
Samovar appeared in
the second quarter of XVIII century, and after a hundred years became an
integral part of a tea-table in every Russian household, restaurant and hotel.
Samovars had not only utilitarian but also "spiritual" function: they united
people during long tea-drinking events disposing them to a peaceful talk.
Many people consider samovar's tea the most tasty. Although samovars first appeared in the Urals, their production reached its
height of glory in Tula, the old Russian town even more famous for its armoires,
as well as for Tul'skie pr'aniki, Tula spice-cakes.